Appliances including washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, microwave ovens, ovens, cooktops, and the like can be used for a variety of purposes. Often times it is desirable to obtain information, such as diagnostic information, associated with an appliance. This information can be used, for instance, to assist with repair or maintenance of the appliance. Many conventional appliances, however, do not have the capability to communicate information, such as diagnostic information, with other devices.
More recently, appliances have included network interface devices and microcontrollers or microprocessors that allow the appliance to communicate with other devices over a network. For instance, an appliance can access diagnostic information from a remote site, such as a server, over a network and either present the diagnostic information on a suitable user interface or communicate this information over the network to a local computing device. However, these systems can be complex and costly to install and maintain.
Thus, a need exists for an improved system and method of transmitting information, such as diagnostic information, associated with an appliance so that the information can be readily accessed.